Men's Ice Hockey Hold Off Rivier for First Win of the Season

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The MCLA Men's Ice Hockey team looked to close out the fall semester portion of their schedule on a high note with a MASCAC matchup with the Rivier College Raiders at the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Rink. Early goals from Cade Herrera and Luke Rhoss put the Trailblazers in front, and first-career goals from Matthew Castillo and Spencer Craig late sealed MCLA's first win of the season.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Saturday, December 7, 2024
• Score: Rivier 2, MCLA 4
• Records: Rivier University Raiders 3-5-1 (MASCAC 0-3-1) | MCLA Trailblazers 1-8-0 (MASCAC 1-3-0)

HIGHLIGHTS

• MCLA put the first point of the night on the scoreboard when sophomore forward Cade Herrera (Brentwood, CA / Seahawks H.C) lit the lamp for the first time this season with just under five minutes off the clock. Herrera was positioned in front of the net to clean up the rebound of his first shot attempt from just outside the crease. Assists were credited to senior defenseman Matthew Castillo (Ozone Park, NY / Salem State Univ.) and sophomore forward Christopher Gallagher (Albany. NY / Islanders H.C.). The goal was the first of the year for Herrera, while the assists were also the first of the season for Castillo and Gallagher.
• Sophomore forward Luke Rhoss (Monroe, NY / Philadelphia H.C.) doubled the MCLA lead six minutes into the second period. After dealing a physical check to a Raiders defender, Rhoss cleared the puck back to sophomore forward Quinn Murphy (Champaign, IL / Philadelphia H.C.) along the right-side boards. Murphy set up sophomore defenseman Spencer Craig (Glendale, AZ / Northern Cyclones) for a one-timer from the right point. The rebound of Craig's shot fell at Rhoss' feet to clean up in front of the net. The goal was Rhoss' first of the season.
• The Raiders got back within one goal just before the midpoint of the second frame when Jake Laville (9:42 second period, assisted by Nicolas Paolucci and Cormac Hayes) netted a power play.
• Before the stanza ended, MCLA restored their two-goal lead when Castillo cashed in his first collegiate goal with the Trailblazers on the power play. Following multiple probing attempts, Castillo cleaned up another rebound in front of the net, with assists going to sophomore forward Cody White (Orange, CT / East Coast Wizards) and sophomore defenseman Shane Green (Bear, DE / Philadelphia Little Flyers). The assists were the first of the season for White.
• Closing in on the midpoint of the third period, the Raiders again cut their deficit to just one goal when Laville (8:51 third period, assisted by Jon Tavella and Carter Poulin) notched his second power-play goal of the evening.
• MCLA would find an insurance goal with 35 seconds left in regulation, scoring a short-handed, empty-net goal from Craig with an assist from Green, his third helper of the year. The goal was the first of Craig's collegiate career.
• The game was tight throughout, with both teams having scoring opportunities, but it was the Trailblazers' sophomore goalie Mathew Gover (Atkinson, NH / East Coast Wizards) who proved the more difficult puzzle to solve. Gover stopped 34 of 36 shots on net to improve his record to 1-8-0, while Luke Newell recorded 15 saves but fell to 3-4-1. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Shots: Rivier 36, MCLA 18
• Saves: Rivier 15, MCLA 34
• Faceoffs Won: Rivier 44, MCLA 41
• Penalty/Minutes: Rivier 4/8:00, MCLA 7/14:00
• Power Plays: Rivier 2 for 7, MCLA 1 for 4

UP NEXT:

The Trailblazers will be off for winter break until Sunday, January 5th, when they travel to Assumption College for a non-conference matchup with the Greyhounds at the Worcester Ice Center. The puck will drop at 4:20 p.m.

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